After the Deluge

We head stateside for an exclusive first taste of Mazda’s second-gen CX-5. Does a concerted focus on refinement to lure in the Yanks dilute the popular SUV’s dynamic charms?

- Byron Mathioudakis

WILL THIS damned drought ever break?”

That was the water cooler topic de jour as we milled about the second-gen CX-5 at its North American media preview in pretty if parched San Diego. And such talk wasn’t only about the prevailing conditions.

Parallels exist between the lack of rain falling on the Southern Californian plains for much of this decade and the Japanese medium-sized SUV’s intermittent North American fortunes, thus making this part of the US the launch venue an interesting coincidence. Or is it?

Sales have been flooding in internationally for the CX-5 since launching in late 2011, almost single handedly saving Mazda’s bacon. But not in the US.

While North America is still the model’s biggest market with 112,000 sales last year, that’s a trickle against the leading Honda CR-V’s 357,000-odd torrent, relegating the Mazda to a disappointing 19th in the US SUV sales charts. Behind even the decrepit Jeep Patriot. And barely ahead of the premium Lexus RX…

The latter fact is telling … and ultimately instructive as to understanding why the not-so all-new KF-series CX-5 looks, feels and behaves like it does. If the first couldn’t crack the big time against mainstream dross in the world’s second-largest car market, then offering a palpably better and slightly more up market alternative might at last turn the trickle into a stream.

The CX-5’s Australian track record clearly served as inspiration. As the SUV to rule them all for the last four consecutive years, Aussies couldn’t get enough of the last one, and happily paid the premium for the money-spinning luxo grades. With only one in-four buyers picking the povvo Maxx, the Japanese-built midsizer swum in a richer than-usual model-mix pool for its class.

Yet we at Wheels weren’t quite as sold on the old CX-5.